Chapter 11

The afternoon was only just waning when I stepped out of the Pokemon center. My thoughts wandered as I strolled around the city. I wondered how Raylian was doing in her battle and eventually, my thoughts strayed to Eren. The last time I had seen him was in that cave before I jumped into the waterfall. I felt oddly guilty for not thinking of him more often but I brushed those thoughts away. Wherever he was, I hoped he was safe.

I killed a couple of hours browsing the many shops in the city, but I eventually found myself sitting on the bank of a stream that ran beyond the outskirts. I dangled my bare feet into the cold water. Luna lay beside me and I stroked her absently, lost in thought.

A harsh voice jolted me back to reality. It was distant, I could hardly make out the words, but there was very clearly some kind of conflict. I sighed, standing up.

"We'd better go see what that's about." I nudged Luna with a wet foot. "Come on."

Luna opened one eye and huffed in protest. I nudged her again and she yawned, slowly getting up.

I slipped my shoes back on and we followed the sound of yelling until we came across a young boy, who couldn't have been any older than me. He was hidden behind a few buildings on the outskirts, in an open area not far from the stream I'd been sitting at.

At first, there didn't seem to be anyone else around, but then I realized that he wasn't yelling at another person, he was yelling at a Pokemon. He looked down scornfully at a small pile of dark fur curled up at his feet.

"Useless as always," the boy sneered, "you can't even learn the one move I need you to." He lifted his foot as if to kick the little Pokemon.

"Stop!" I shouted, running towards them.

The boy froze mid-kick, turning to me, his top lip curled in disgust. He had a round face with a broad nose and a wide mouth. His dark hair was greasy and unbrushed. His purple and black outfit reminded me, uncomfortably, of the people Eren and I had encountered under the mountain. I disliked him immediately.

"And who are you?" he demanded.

"Someone who doesn't like seeing Pokemon get abused." At the sound of my voice, the Pokemon at the boy's feet lifted its head, revealing large brown eyes and long ears.

The boy laughed at me, a harsh and patronizing sound. "I'm not abusing it," he scoffed, "I'm teaching it."

I cocked an eyebrow. "I don't know where you're from, but in my household, we don't teach people by kicking them."

"Yeah, well, this isn't 'people' is it?" he taunted, flicking his wrist in the Pokemon's direction. "It's a Pokemon."

I clenched my hands into fists at my side. I was getting really tired of this boy's attitude. Beside me, Luna growled, indicating she felt the same.

Sensing my frustration, the boy smirked, "I'll tell you what, I'll fight you for it." I narrowed my eyes, not quite sure what he was getting at here. "If you win," he went on, "then you get to keep this useless pile of fur." He spat on the ground next to his Pokemon. "But if I win," he threw a dirty finger in Luna's direction, "I get yours."

I opened my mouth to object, but before I could, Luna stepped in front of me and, still growling, strode over to take a stance opposite the boy. She beckoned me over with a jerk of her head. I, begrudgingly, followed and took up my position behind her.

"This will be a one-on-one battle," the boy said. "You only get to use one Pokemon." As if to illustrate his point, he unclipped his other Pokeballs from his belt and threw them to the ground a few feet away.

Grimacing, I did the same, placing them gently on the grass, out of harm's way.

"Alright get up," the boy commanded his Pokemon. "This is your chance to redeem yourself."

I cringed as his Pokemon got to its feet. I could see now that it was an Eevee. A small brown Pokemon with long ears that usually had a large fluffy tail and white ruff around its neck. But not this one. I felt a rush of pity as it came forward. It was so dirty it was impossible to tell what color it had been originally. Its fur was matted and its eyes couldn't seem to focus, as if it hadn't slept in a while.

"This is going to be painfully easy," I admitted to myself, wincing.

And it was painfully easy. I had no idea what this boy had been doing to this Eevee before I showed up but it was certainly not at the top of its game. Admittedly, it did get a few solid hits in, but it ultimately didn't stand a chance. By the end of the battle, the Eevee lay defeated on the grass. I walked over to it and gently lifted it into my arms.

"What do you think you're doing?" the boy shouted.

"A deal is a deal," I said, glaring. "This Pokemon is mine now." I held out a hand expectantly.

The boy stood rigidly. He clenched and unclenched his hands several times all the while, looking at me with such contempt that for a second, I was sure he was about to throw a punch. Then, with an angry grunt, he slammed an empty Pokeball into my hand. He scooped up his remaining Pokemon and stalked off. I took my time helping the injured Eevee into the ball before rushing off to the Pokecenter.

It was dark by the time I entered the brightly lit Pokecenter. I was surprised to find Raylian at the counter, retrieving her Pokemon. When she turned around, she seemed equally surprised to see me. She gave me a friendly smile as I approached the counter.

"So," I started, "how did it go?" In response, Raylian beamed at me and proudly held up a badge. "Yes! I knew you could do it." I held up my hand for a high five but was taken aback when she tackled me in a hug.

"What are you doing back here?" she asked, letting go and tucking a strand of red hair behind an ear. "I thought you would have moved on."

"That's a bit of a story," I chuckled. "Mind if I tell you later?"

"Not at all."

I gave a grateful smile and then turned to the pink-haired nurse behind the counter. I handed her the Eevee's ball and said, "I'm worried that this one might need special care, it was in bad shape."

The nurse gave me a disapproving look but replied evenly, "we'll see what we can do." She waved to a Chancy who was tending to some Pokeballs and they disappeared into a back room.

I took a seat in the lobby with Raylian and proceeded to tell her all about what had happened with the boy.

"That poor thing," she murmured when I had finished. "I'm glad you stepped in when you did."

"So am I."

After that, It wasn't long until the nurse behind the counter called me up again.

"You were right," the nurse began. "Your Eevee is in terrible shape." She gave me a scathing look. "You should take better care of him."

Unable to explain the whole situation to her I bowed my head and said simply, "yes ma'am, I will."

She seemed satisfied with that answer and continued, "If it's alright with you, I'd like to keep him here overnight to make sure he gets the care he needs."

"That's alright with me, thank you for taking care of him."

"That's what we do."

And with that, I exited the Pokecenter with Raylian and Luna in tow. We strolled down the sidewalks of Loden, enjoying the peacefulness of the city at night. As we walked, Raylian told me all about her gym battle and about what she had done up until we met at the Pokecenter.

"So," she began after a beat of silence. "Will you be leaving tomorrow?"

I glanced at her curiously. "That was the plan, yes."

"Where are you headed?"

"Well," I sighed. "Nowhere specific. I figured I'd keep heading North to Rufous city, maybe get another gym badge." I shrugged. "Why?"

"Well," she said, fixing her gaze on the ground. "I wanted to ask you if.. if I could come with you?"

I stopped under a streetlamp, surprised. "Raylian, you've known me for one day."

Raylian groaned, "I know, I just..." she trailed off, scratching the back of her neck and looking away. "It's hard to explain, I just have a good feeling about you... I guess."

I stared at Raylian, who still wouldn't meet my eyes, and couldn't help but smile. This silly girl, who had known me for less than a full day, wanted to come with me. I glanced down at Luna who looked back at me with unreadable red eyes. I began to laugh, I couldn't help it, the situation seemed somehow comical to me.

Raylian finally looked at me with a measure of hurt in her eyes which sobered me. I rubbed my arm sheepishly. "I suppose it would be nice to have some company on the road." At this, Luna let out a soft growl. "More company," I corrected. "I meant more company."

Raylian burst out laughing and I soon joined her. We walked a few more blocks together before parting ways for the night. Thinking about the days to come made me realize how much I missed traveling with Eren. It would be nice to have another human companion.