Time Lapse: Reluctant Hero

by AvionVadion

She remembered nothing. Where she came from, who she was, if she had any family; all the girl knew now was that something was wrong. There was no way she was meant to be raised like this- treated like a grunt and tormented along with the rest. Pokemon were worth more than what Team Rocket claimed. They weren't tools... and neither was she. OCs

35. Arrival at Celadon

"I've never given into madness! Never given into madness!

I keep an eye on the chamber door, but I'm better now than before."

I dreamed of dozens of pokēmon, all of whom were lounging and playing about in a field of flowers. But… most were pokēmon I didn't recognize. Pokēmon that weren't mine or my friends. Most of them looked like Hoenn pokēmon, in all honesty. There were Oddish and Surskit, Seedot and Mightyena, Blaziken and Mudkip and Wurmple. A Gardevoir was tending to a Lotad and Slakoth. Near the trees, a pastel-pink feline pokēmon was floating, mewing softly as it observed the peaceful pokēmon with curious azure eyes, watching them exist within the Pokēmon Daycare.

As its long tail dangled in the air, I saw it turn its attention to a man that was standing there among the other pokēmon. He had wine-purple hair and a small goatee, and his eyes- while gold- were far gentler than the cruel gold I was so used to from Richard.

"Mew…?"

The man was tending to the pokēmon, feeding them pokēpuffs and berries. By his side was a young blonde woman adorned in a lab coat, her pale face dotted with freckles. Her stomach greatly swollen, the Swellow that stood by her side leaned its head down to nuzzle her round belly.

"Easy now." She murmured, running her fingers along its feathers. "We still have another month left before you can say hello."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" The man asked, glancing at her in concern. "The doctors said conception was near impossible, and that even carrying this far was a miracle. If something goes wrong…"

"Nothing will go wrong." She stated firmly, giving him a hard look. "But… I still think we should look into adoption. I want them to have a sibling. Why don't we go visit the orphanage in Verdanturf sometime? Or the one in Lavaridge?"

"I think we'll have our hands full with just one little one, though…"

"You realize there are teenagers in the orphanages, right? I was speaking to the professor's new neighbor the other day, and he said he and his wife were thinking of adopting one since teenagers are often overlooked…"

"Matilda-"

"Just…! Think about it? Please? You've always wanted a big family, but because of me-"

"Hey!" He stood, and hurriedly made his way over to her. The man cupped her face, leaning in close. His forehead touching hers, gold eyes bore into sky blue. "Don't say that. I'm happy just having you beside me. So don't ever blame yourself. If it's really what you want, I'll visit the orphanage sometime. But only after you've safely had our baby and they've grown a little."

"Okay…" She relaxed a little. Leaning into his touch, she raised her hands up to rest over his. "Thank you, Jonathan. I… know this is scaring you. But… I just want to think positive, okay? I want to think about the future-"

"Rather than fearing the present." He murmured, finishing her words. "I know. I know…"

A moment's pause, and then-

"I love you."

She smiled warmly up at him. Her eyes crinkled fondly, accentuated by the dark circles that were beneath them. "And I love you. Now, what say you head on in and get started on dinner, hm? I'll take care of the pokēmon. Researchers can run a Daycare, too, you know!"

"Yes, ma'am!" He joked. "Though I'd prefer it if you got some rest."

Pulling away from her, he fixed his brown aviator jacket and was about to walk off when the floating feline pokēmon caught his attention. Whirling his head around, he went to look at it- only to blink when it suddenly vanished.

"What the…?" He brought a gloved hand to rub at his goatee, leaning forward with a squint. "Hey, love; did you see that?"

"See what?" She walked over to stand beside him and follow his gaze.

The pink pokēmon was behind them now, its blue eyes sparkling with mischief. Letting out a small giggle, it began to fly up, preparing to mess with them even more- only to pause and turn, as if sensing something.

"I found you." A deep voice said, ominous and all-too-familiar. The dream changed, shifting into one of stormy skies and intense violet eyes- ones that were narrowed in their silent rage. "Both of you. Soon…"

Mewtwo looked up through the glass window that gave view to the entire outside, waves crashing violently against the small island he was staying on. Though he was so far away, it felt like he was staring directly at me.

"The fated day of destiny shall arrive. And the strings that tie us will be cut… once and for all."

His lips curled into a small smirk, and his violet eyes flashed with a terrifying glow.

"Can you hear me, human? I do hope you'll accept my invitation."

As the waves crashed against the rocky shore once more, I awoke with a start, breathing heavily as Brock let out a small yelp- startled by the way I snapped awake and jolted in his arms. "El!?"

He was carrying me.

We were… in a pokēcenter.

"Wh-What happened?" Weren't we just in the Pokēmon Tower? There was the Cubone, and the invisible ghost that was attacking us, and I remember Remedy rushing forward to protect everyone. Cubone ended up running off, though, and then… fear. "A-Are we still in Lavender Town?"

Brock frowned, deeply concerned. "We left a couple hours ago. We're in Celadon City now. And, uh… it's not pretty outside, El."

"What?

Blue shook his head, and I turned to look down at him, wincing a little as I shifted in Brock's hold, attempting to sit up. "Don't worry about it yet, kid. How're you feeling? Still confused?"

"…N-No?" I mean, I was confused on how and when we got here, but I think I'm overall fine.

I rested a hand on Brock's shoulder, looking around and noticing that most of my pokémon were back in their balls, and that Ansem was on Blue's head while Susie was in his arms. Umbreon and Remedy were walking behind us.

From the looks of things, Brock and Blue had been heading towards one of the communication machines when I suddenly woke up and distracted them.

Blue let out a sigh. "Okay, here's the recap; basically, we found Cubone. Cubone ran off and got captured by Team Rocket. Team Rocket said they have a secret hideout here in Celadon City and took off. Remedy knocked you out with Sing since you were still super affected by confusion and were freaking out, so you slept on Arcanine's back the whole ride here. We promised before to call Bill the next time we reached a city with a gym, so we came here first to the pokēcenter to get that over with."

Oh. "O-Okay…"

"We also promised to call Misty, so we'll be doing that too. We're gonna go to the department store afterwards, which is… pretty big and should have plenty of clothes for us to choose from. After that, once we've restocked on supplies, we'll be hunting down Team Rocket's hideout and getting you that Rainbow Badge."

I nodded slowly, groggy brain catching up to the situation at hand now that it's been explained to me. "H-How're we gonna hunt it down?"

"Easy." Blue snapped his fingers and pointed at me with a grin. "We'll interrogate the goons that're hanging around the city."

"Th-They're hanging around? In plain sight!?" No wonder Brock said it wasn't pretty outside. "That's… dumb of them."

Blue snorted at my harsh comment.

Hrm. "But…"

I thought about it.

"I guess it's… a good thing. We won't have to go looking for them." It'll be easy to force them to tell us where the hideout is and then arrest them all, freeing the stolen pokēmon in the process. Their hideout here must be hidden in plain sight- as well as having several higher up members in the city- for them to be acting so boldly. I brought a hand to my chin, curling my fingers over my lips as I furrowed my brows. "Rich and Velga might not be the only tough ones here, though. They're… probably serving someone higher up, and that person is probably in the hideout. That's why Team Rocket is acting so confident."

"They think they'll be protected." Brock said, understanding dawning on him. Blue's expression turned solemn, and he gave Susie some pets to keep her calm- the pokēmon sensing the negativity flowing from us as we continued to speak about such a heavy topic. "With someone strong backing them, they're not afraid to show off."

Blue grimaced. "That means we have our work cut out for us."

It'll be a difficult battle, for sure… but it's nothing we can't get through so long as we stick together. Blinking slowly, snapped wide awake from this information, I glanced up at Brock. "Can… Can you set me down?"

"I suppose." Brock mused. "Just so long as you promise not to get abducted by another ghost pokēmon."

I made a face. "I-It wasn't intentional…"

He laughed.

Brock carefully set me down, keeping hold of me until I was steady, my body shaken from the sudden force of gravity after having been asleep and carried for so long. I ended up clinging to his arm, wobbling a little, and grimaced. "Remedy's song hit hard…"

Despite having raised a Skitty for a short while, who only really knew how to Sing, I didn't realize just how powerful its effects could be.

Belle, just you wait. Soon I can avenge him. Your death won't be in vain.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and focused.

I ran my brain back through the events of this morning and after. After leaving the pokēcenter this morning, we entered the rock tunnels and encountered an Onix. After some struggle, Brock caught her, and then a few hours later- after finding the exit and making lunch- a Chansey appeared, who decided she wanted to stay with Brock. He named her Remedy. We proceeded to make our way down to Lavender Town, where we discovered a wild Cubone acting strangely.

We followed it into the tower and were attacked by an invisible ghost…

A ghost that the Cubone clearly knew.

I chased the Cubone after it ran away again, the poor pokēmon left dejected by the ghost that… I think may just be its deceased mother? But before I could catch up to it, I had been ambushed. A Gengar had been hiding in my shadow, and as it enveloped me I was grabbed by its friend, a Haunter, and was dragged into darkness.

In that darkness… I remembered something. But what?

It was on the tip of my tongue- and I was certain it was important, but I just…

I couldn't remember.

The darkness I had been dragged into dredged up the nightmares I often had, particularly during the more stressful times of the journey. I remembered the destruction and the death, and the terrifying creature that gazed down at me with piercing crimson eyes. I was able to make out a few more details this time, and I could vaguely recall them; black wing-like arms, a golden jaw, and a long grey body. There had been anger in its gaze, but also… pity.

I don't think it wanted to kill me and my sister out of rage.

I think… it wanted to put us out of our misery.

And my sister- as she was dying, I think she said something to me.

What was it?

Falling deep into thought, I remained clinging to Brock's arm even after I succeeded in regaining my balance. I didn't even notice when he had started walking, following after him instinctively.

He was a warmth, a pillar, a presence I was strongly attached to.

Whenever I falter or fall down, he's always there to help steady me and pick me back up again. Even zoned out, I had grown entirely used to him being there, and didn't so much as question it when he started to walk, following after him like it was second nature.

Three weeks and four days was all it took for Brock and Blue to become a constant, and I know it's going to kill me when we inevitably separate after Team Rocket is destroyed and all the abducted children and pokēmon are freed, but at the moment being with them was the most… real I've ever been or had been allowed to be.

They were everything to me.

Trapped in my thoughts as I tried to remember what it was I had forgotten, frustrated by my amnesia, I only snapped out of it when I heard the phone from the communicator start to ring, Blue sitting in the chair and holding the phone up on speaker for all of us to hear.

"Uh, howdy! Who's callin' for lil' old me?" The pokēmon fanatic's face appeared on the screen, and I blinked- watching with wide eyes as Bill jumped onto his feet. From the looks of things in the background, he wasn't at his house. It looked like he was in a store of some sort. His expression was as bright as could be. "Well, I'll be! It's about time you younggin's called me! How're things goin' on that journey of yours?"

"We're making progress." Brock informed kindly. "El here has four badges already."

"Truly!? Well, you did say she got that Soul Badge… Oh, my goodness gracious!" Bill leaned forward, turning his attention towards me. I tensed, and Brock smiled in fond amusement when he saw me hug his arm with both hands. "What a cute 'do you've got there! And look at yer lil' face! You've grown up some, haven't ya?"

Bill beamed at me, and I felt my face grow warm, unused to all the attention and compliments. I really hoped I did look a little older. "…Th-Thanks."

"It suits ya! And… El? Ah, that's right! You called her that last time, didn't you? I guess she's finally remembered her name, huh?"

"Part of it." Blue snorted. "We're still working on getting her to remember the rest."

"Right, right. Well, I'm proud of ya for remembering just that much, El!" Bill gave me a thumbs up and a wink, and my grip on Brock's arm tightened. I really didn't know how to react to all this praise. "Can I ask what badge yer goin' after now? Which city are ya'll in?"

Brock smiled at him. "We've actually just arrived in Celadon City. We were hoping to get El and Blue some new clothes, and stock up on supplies, before going after the Rainbow Badge."

"Erika's gym is all grass-types." Blue noted thoughtfully. "And with the levels Ruby and Sapphire are right now… I think they should be able to handle it just fine."

"Ruby and Sapphire?" Bill echoed. Blinking rapidly, he squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. "Wait, wait! Before that! You said Celadon City!?"

"Yeah?" The boy raised a brow at him. "What of it?"

"Well, aside from it bein' overrun by them awful Team Rocket folks, I'm actually in the city myself!"

We were all surprised by this knowledge.

Blue gaped. "What!?"

"Where are you at!?" Brock asked, leaning forward and gripping the back of the chair Blue was sitting in. "I knew the room behind you looked different!"

Bill laughed loudly. "I came on the premise of getting some new parts for some machines I've been wantin' to build, but I'd be lyin' if I said I weren't hopin' to run into ya'll here! What a mighty coincidence!"

Blue furrowed his brows. "Wait, does that mean…"

"Yes, it do! I'm at Celadon City's department store right now! You actually caught me at quite the, uh, embarassin' time, though." He stepped back and let out a small laugh, ruffling his orange hair with somewhat red cheeks. "I ran into the most wonderful lady! Apparently she's famous for her skills with pokēmon, and she offered to help me with my research!"

"A lady famous for her skills with pokēmon…?"

"Better believe it! Why don't you kids come on over? I'll introduce ya! We're on the second floor! While I'm at it, I'll cover the cost of your clothes for ya! You kids just focus on the supplies."

Before any of us could actually give confirmation of whether or not we were going to pay him a visit at the store, Bill had already hung up.

Blue sat there in the chair, looking mildly disturbed about something. "There's… no way he met my sister, right?"

Brock and I whirled our heads around to look at him, startled by the comment. "Daisy?"

"The… pokēmon star lady?"

"Yeah." Blue frowned and folded his arms over his chest, deep in thought. "I know she comes here to stock up on her favorite teas sometimes, and she does help Gramps out with his research whenever she can… so it's not like she wouldn't offer to help a famous pokēmon researcher like Bill if she met him. But… ugh."

He shook his head and stood

"Nope! No! I am not thinking about it. I'm just gonna go ahead and call Misty. Here we go…"

The phone rang.

After a few seconds, the screen lit up and a familiar pig-tailed ginger appeared on the screen. Misty beamed at us, waving a hand excitedly. "El! Hey! Oh… and Blue. I forgot you were with her."

"Hardy har har." He mocked. "We're in Celadon City. If you're coming with us, get your butt moving. We're leaving as soon as we get El that Rainbow Badge."

Brock gave Misty a smile and waved, and I awkwardly followed his example. Misty giggled at me, and Brock greeted her warmly, "Heya, Misty! How's it going?"

"Eh, it's going. There haven't been as many challengers recently due to Team Rocket abducting everyone's pokēmon. Thankfully, because of what you guys did at Nugget Bridge, Cerulean City is pretty safe now. I'm gonna talk to the league soon and see if I can close the gym temporarily to travel with you guys."

"Don't trust your sisters, huh?"

"As if they could run a gym! It's not like we're getting much business, anyways… and won't be until the whole Team Rocket thing is settled. So, um, you guys are gonna be heading to Saffron City next, right? I'll try and meet you at the pokēmon center there! I want to be with you when Team Rocket goes down for good!"

Blue snorted, but his previous irritation seemed to be gone. He was grinning now. "Sure, sure. Just don't slow us down, okay?"

"Why you-!" Her face burned red, and her green eyes narrowed angrily. "You're the one that better not slow everyone down! Hmph!"

With a loud noise of frustration, Misty hung up the phone, effectively ending the call.

Blue burst out into laughter, snickering and cackling away. "Sh-She's seriously way too easy to mess with! Ahaha! Sweet Arceus… hah…"

Brock sent him an exasperated look. "She's going to get you for that later, you know."

"Pfft! She can try. Now, if you'll excuse me…" He set the phone down and glanced around the pokēcenter lobby, searching for something. "I think I'm gonna switch out some of my pokémon. El, follow me."

"Huh? Uh, o-okay…"

I reluctantly released Brock and did as told, chasing after Blue and taking Susie from him when he approached a machine that was identical to the one he used on the ship when he traded out for his Gyarados.

Blue reached into his fanny pack and pulled out two balls, hesitating only briefly before placing them inside one at a time, flipping through the pokēmon he had at the lab back in Pallet Town. He tapped one, waited for the balls to trade out, then tapped again.

Blue glanced down at me, watching as I observed the trade with interest. "Hey, just a heads up, but… one of these is a Blastoise."

For a moment, the world came to a halt.

My breathing hitched, and my head snapped up to look at him. Susie mewed, shifting in my hold and glancing up at me, only to press her cold nose against my neck in effort to comfort me.

A cold chill went down my spine. My voice sounded frustratingly weak. "A… A what?"

I felt Brock's hands rest against my shoulders, the dark-skinned teen standing behind me, keeping me steady in case my legs grew weak and I lost balance. Blue looked mildly uncomfortable as he spoke, pocketing the pokēballs and bringing a hand up to scratch his cheek, the boy having a hard time meeting my eyes. "A Blastoise. I know you have… bad memories with one because of that evil Mistress chick, but… he's one of my strongest pokēmon. I can introduce you two later, if you want; you know, before we attack the secret hideout. My Blastoise won't hurt you, and… it might actually help you, somehow, for when we… eventually go to fight that crazy murderer, but… yeah. I think he'll be super useful when we go to take down the hideout later."

Blastoise…

It was one of the water-type pokēmon I feared the most. Time and again Mistress Augusta had tormented me with hers, having it knock me down with violent jets of water and attempting to drown me. I lived in fear of it for so long, and it worsened the fear I already had of huge bodies of water. She took what weakness I had and made it worse, realizing very quickly that her water-type pokēmon were perfect for torturing me.

But… this Blastoise was going to be Blue's. It was completely different from the Blastoise I grew up with. If Blue said it wasn't going to hurt me, then it wasn't going to hurt me. I trust him.

I… trust his pokēmon.

Still- it's… scary.

I don't want to see it. I don't want to be near it.

"Kid, hey…" Blue moved closer, and I tried not to flinch he reached out and grabbed my arms. His grip wasn't as rough as I was expecting it to be. "I don't know if this will do anything for you, but my Blastoise has a really gentle nature. Rather than hurt you, he'll probably just try to take care of you. Like… Brock. Okay? Think of my Blastoise as a big, blue, turtle version of our mama hen."

"What nature is your Machamp, anyway?" Brock asked, curiosity in his voice. "He was pretty doting when you were sick, and I remember him being sweet on your Umbreon."

Blue blinked at the unexpected question. "Oh, him? He… has a more serious nature. If he comes off as doting, it's because he's protective."

"Huh… well, anyways," Brock moved so he was standing beside me, one of his arms still around me as he kept hold of my shoulders, trying to keep me calm in the way he knew worked, "Blue is right. Blastoise may be big, but not all of them are mean and scary. I'll be right with you, okay?"

I remained silent for a moment longer, before inhaling shakily and nodding my head, hugging Susie close. Nuzzling her fur, I pressed a small kiss to her forehead- finding comfort in her warmth. Brock and Blue's hands were a strong and pleasant reminder that I wasn't alone. "O-Okay."

"There ain't nothin' to be scared of while we're around." Blue promised. "We've got your back."

Yeah.

Everything will be fine.

I trust them.

Taking a deep breath, I nodded my head and watched as Blue pulled away. He rested his hands on his hips, a smirk spreading across his lips as he relaxed a little. "Oh, and- just so you guys know… the pokēmon I swapped out for Blastoise was my Gyarados. He should still be able to carry all three of us on his back since he's pretty big, though I doubt we'll actually need to surf across any water since we now have multiple flying-types."

"Huh?"

Brock was intrigued, and a thought came to him. "Wait, did you-"

"Yup!" Blue never looked more proud of himself. It was there that I remembered Blue and Brock actually battled before, so Brock probably had an idea of what pokēmon Blue was talking about. "I swapped out my Arcanine for Charizard! We can just fly him and Aerodactyl to the next city! Honestly don't know why I didn't think of it before."

I'm not sure either. Also, I'm not entirely certain how comfortable I feel about flying. I know he offered to take me flying on Aerodactyl before, but the idea of actually doing so was… kind of terrifying. I don't think I would fall off, but there was that nagging worry of what if. The helicopter ride with Richard and Velga wasn't exactly pleasant, either.

But, then again, flying was probably a thousand times better than being stuck out on the open blue waters again.

"Hey, El!" Jostling me out of my thoughts again, Blue grinned at me. "Because I'm so nice, I'll let you ride with me on Charizard! How does that sound?"

"...Huh?" Wait, really? He's actually going through with it? "Y-You sure?"

He walked over to me, and I let out a small squeak when he tossed an arm over my shoulders, pulling me into a headlock. He started to lead me out of the pokēcenter, Brock momentarily calling back Remedy into her pokēball so none of the Team Rocket goons tried to nab her for being a rare pokēmon who has incredibly nutritious eggs they can sell. He probably called her back into her ball when they first entered the town, too, before letting her back out once in the pokēcenter.

Grabbing onto Blue's sleeve, more baffled than annoyed by him suddenly hooking his arm around me, I stared up at him. I could feel Ansem watching curiously from atop the boy's head.

Blue's brown eyes were sparkling. "As if I would offer if I wasn't! I told you before I'd take you flying, didn't I? I don't make promises willy-nilly! Besides, flying will be better than surfing or riding on Arcanine's back. We can get to Blaine's gym easy, and we'll be in Hoenn before we know it!"

That's the hope…

I couldn't help but feel a little hesitant, though. "I-If you're really okay with it…"

"Oi." I scrunched up my nose when he poked my cheek, Blue giving me a look. His chokehold had loosened quite a bit, so we were just walking with his arm around my shoulders. "Stop it with the sad face! If I said you can ride with me on Charizard, then you can ride with me on Charizard! I'm an expert in flying-pokēmon. Trust me, okay?"

I do trust you. I'm just…

I don't know.

I think I'm just a coward.

Carefully holding Susie as we walked along the sidewalk outside, several cars passing by us, I was able to see just how many Team Rocket goons there were. It only took a split-second for the fear to well up, the anxiety rising at an alarming speed, worry that I would be recognized flooding my mind.

Yet, as we walked, the goons… barely gave any of us a second glance.

They were too busy talking with each other about rare pokēmon, and muttering about how the boss wanted to locate a Unovan girl with long brown hair.

Right…

My long hair had been cut off. There was no way anyone could recognize me unless someone had sent out a detailed description of the sailor uniform I was wearing or paid a lot of attention to my face. Ansem was also resting on Blue's head instead of mine, and he was being followed around by his Umbreon, so if anything he could be mistaken as Ansem's trainer.

It was a little stranger that they didn't seem to recognize Brock or Blue, the two being somewhat famous for who they were and what their original occupations were, but then again they did look totally distracted by their conversations. Maybe they were dense, or just plain fools.

Regardless, it was a massive relief.

What a wild struck of luck…

Suddenly, a hand curled around mine, Brock snatching one of my hands. Once he was certain I had a good grasp on Susie with my one arm, he gave my fingers a comforting squeeze. "Just breathe and keep walking." He murmured. "Don't look back. Eyes in front of you."

I just need to focus on the path ahead of us.

Everything is fine.

One goon, two goon, three…

We passed by a total of twelve goons by the time we reached the Celadon City Department Store. Blue immediately released me and marched up to the front desk, rapping his knuckles against the wood. "S'cuse me! Did you see a woman that looks like me come in here? Should be with a redhead? The lady's probably wearing a green dress or purple turtleneck?"

"Um… yes." The receptionist was startled. "I don't believe they've left yet. Why?"

"She's my sister." He stated bluntly, only to then call out to us from over his shoulder. "I was right, you guys! It was Daisy!"

Oh, boy.

"Eva!" Ansem pawed at Blue's head, nuzzling his hair, and watched with excited red eyes as they began to make their way towards the elevator. I guess we really were about to meet Blue's older sister.

The way he described her before made her sound like this incredible person, but I really didn't know what to expect. How much does she look like Blue? What kind of pokémon does she have? Blue is rough but kind, yet he described her to be someone so sweet and gentle. Her personality must be a little similar to Brock's in that case. I can't even imagine how pretty she must be.

I'm… actually a little excited to meet her, if not nervous.

Still holding Brock's hand, we followed Blue and Ansem into the elevator, Umbreon following after us. Brock used his free hand to summon Remedy again, and after Blue pressed a button for the second floor, the elevator gave a small jolt and began to lift us up from one floor to the next.

As it did so I began to feel a little lightheaded.

It was an incredibly uncomfortable sensation, and I stared down at the metal floor nervously- growing fearful of what would happen if it just stopped and we were stuck, or if the power went out and we began to just… plummet.

It was a morbid train of thoughts, and I'm not entirely sure where they even came from.

If not for Brock noticing the way I was zoning out and the disturbed look in my eyes, I might have fallen deeper into the dark mind palace. He gave my hand another squeeze, and leaned down so we were closer in height. "You okay?"

A stiff nod. "J-Just… dizzy…"

"It'll be okay, El." He promised. "Just keep focusing on your breathing. Deep breaths. Count to ten, then release. Want me to do it with you?"

I felt Susie lick my chin, and Remedy waddled over to hug my waist. Her stubby arms wrapped around me as best they could, the round pokēmon smiling softly at me. "Chansey! Chan…sey! Chan…sey!"

Wait, is she-?

Brock let out a laugh. "Seems like Remedy is already counting!"

The elevator came to a halt. Blue shook his head and stepped forward, pausing only to ruffle my hair as the doors opened. "We're here, guys."

When we got out of the elevator and stepped out onto the second floor, the first thing I noticed was how huge it was. It was way bigger than the pokēmart; aisles upon aisles upon aisles of trainer supplies being stored on the shelves. Potions, rope, first-aid kits, bandages, ointment, portable cooking ware, pokēballs, antidotes, status heals, there were far too many things for me to count.

Brock chuckled in amusement as he saw me follow after Blue, looking around in awe yet not letting go of his hand.

I've never seen so many supplies in one place.

"Daisy!" Blue called out, marching down the end of the aisles and peering into them to try and find his sister. "Daisy~! Yo, sis! Where are you!? We need to talk! Bill!?"

A sweet voice called out near the row full of pokēmon snacks. "I'm over here, Blue!"

"He's gonna yell at me, ain't he?" We could hear Bill whimper. Whatever conversation had taken place after he hung up on us had clearly been enough to make him wary of the younger boy's wrath. "I hadn't the faintest you were siblings…"

"Oh, Blue won't do anything to you. He's just a kid. Besides, he's really a sweet boy. He's just… shy, is all."

Blue practically bolted towards the aisle they were in, sliding to an aggressive stop. Ansem held on for dear life as this happened, letting out a small squeal as his shoes squeaked against the floor. Blue looked up at his sister with fiery eyes, not at all pleased that it was her Bill had been talking about before. "Daisyyyyy~! What're you doing!?"

"I'm sorry?" Brock, Umbreon, Remedy, and I all rushed over to catch up with him, Susie held protectively to my chest, and when we caught up we saw a young woman staring at us with wide eyes, a hand over her mouth to hide her gasp. "Oh!"

Whoa…

I always believed Blue to be pretty. He was one of the prettiest people I knew, even next to Lorelei and Steven Strange- both of whom were incredibly beautiful.

But this lady…

I'm not entirely sure what it was about Daisy Oak; she looked just like Blue, with the light auburn-brown shade of hair and sharp nose. Her hair was much longer than his, falling down her shoulders in mild waves, with her bangs brushed to the side and curling over her right ear. Her round eyes were the exact same dark sea green as Professor Oak's. And yet her face… was somehow softer.

She was identical to Blue, but unlike him- who, upon meeting him, you could tell that you wouldn't want to get on his bad side- she looked like the sweetest woman you could ever meet.

If the sun had fallen from the sky and become a person, it would be Daisy oak.

"You can't just agree to work for someone you just met!" Blue exclaimed, tone and expression stern.

"It's not like he's just anyone." She responded calmly, bringing a hand up to rest against her cheek. One of her arms were crossed loosely over her chest. "Grandfather's spoken highly of Bill many times before. He trusts him. Plus, from what I understand, Bill's actually helped you before, hasn't he? I would say that makes him trustworthy."

Blue sputtered. "W-Well, yeah, but still!"

"Besides, I-" Daisy cut herself off, her eyes growing wide as she finally took notice of the dried blood staining her little brother's shirt. She saw his bandage on his cheek next, as well as the stitch on his bottom lip, and her hands flew up to her face, utterly horrified. "Blue! Wh-What happened!? Are you hurt!? Did a pokēmon do this!?"

"I-"

She didn't give him a chance to answer, rushing over and checking him for wounds. Blue sputtered, taken aback by her fussing. "It wasn't Team Rocket, was it? Bill just got done telling me about how you fell into their trap a while ago and stayed at his house to recover! And your face-"

"That was from the S.S Anne." He informed, pushing her hands away. "And the blood on the shirt isn't mine! El got attacked by an Arbok near the rock tunnels and collapsed on me. She's fine. I'm fine."

"An Arbok!?" Daisy looked horrified.

"Yeah. It's fine, though. El lived and we freed the pokēmon." He batted her hands away and stepped back. "We're fine! But, anyway, even if Bill's trustworthy, you can't just… agree to work for him right off the bat! He's still a stranger to you!"

Daisy still looked heavily concerned, but it was clear Blue wasn't going to budge on the matter. Letting out a small sigh, she reluctantly stepped back and folded her arms over chest. She looked down at her little brother with sad eyes. "You know I've always had an interest in his research… and thanks to our grandfather's line of work, I know what to do. I helped him when you were just a little boy. Running into him here, I thought it would be a good opportunity to get to know him better and help him with his research" "

Bill peered out from behind Daisy, a bag of machine parts in his arms. He flashed the boy a meek smile. "I, uh, never had an assistant before, but Miss Oak here's so well known for her skill with pokēmon that I found it hard to refuse! An extra set of hands around that lab of mine will certainly be mighty helpful!"

Blue frowned, folding his arms over his chest, not at all convinced. "Have you really thought this through? He's nice, but…"

"I'll be fine, Blue." She mused, smiling a little at his concern. Daisy let out a small giggle. "Thank you for worrying about me. Besides, it's the least I can do to thank him for helping my little brother."

The boy faltered at that, his eyes growing wide, before he scowled and turned away, a bit flustered by her words. "I-I guess…"

Ansem barked, amused by Blue's shyness, and pawed at his hair. Daisy blinked. "Oh! Aww, what a cutie! Did you catch another Eevee? I don't recall you ever letting your Umbreon sit on your head like that before she evolved."

"He's not mine." Blue huffed. "Stuff happened and I just… started carrying him. But that's not important! And I wasn't worried!"

"Hm~ alright." Her rose pink lips curled up into a small smile. "If you say so."

"I do say so! Anyways…" Looking a little awkward now, he turned to gesture at me and Brock. "These are my friends. The Eevee is the kid's, and the Vulpix she's holding is actually Brock's."

Daisy gasped so loud I was certain everyone in the store could hear it, the young woman clapping her hands together in her excitement. "You have friends!?"

"Of course I have friends!" He exclaimed, cheeks as red as my scarf. Blue curled his hands into fists and held them up defensively, frustrated by the way the conversation was going. "As if I wouldn't!"

"Oh~ I can't believe this! I'm so happy for you, Blue!"

The boy sputtered again when she stepped forward, pulling him into a sudden embrace. "H-Hey-"

"You have friends! After all these years! And- oh, look at you!" She let go of him and whirled around to face us, Blue absolutely mortified he was just hugged by his sister in front of us. Even more so since she was treating him like a child. His pride was being damaged hard. "You're Brock and El, right? My name is Daisy! I'm Blue's older sister. It's so nice to meet you!"

"I-It's nice to meet you, too, ma'am!" Brock stammered, cheeks flushed as the beautiful young woman smiled at him. "I'm Brock! Y-You don't have to worry about Blue, Miss Daisy! I've been looking after him! I-I make sure he eats proper meals and gets plenty of rest! I'll keep him safe, so… you can rely on me!"

"Aww, thank you." She let out a small giggle. "I'm so glad he has such a reliable friend."

Brock's was so flustered he looked like he was having trouble breathing. His hands were clasped in front of his chest, and if I didn't know any better I would have thought his heart was about to burst out of his ribcage. He was absolutely smitten with this woman.

Daisy turned to look at me then, her eyes sparkling knowingly. "That must make you little El! My grandfather told me all about you! Blue's even mentioned you a couple times in his emails. You don't look nearly as young as either of them described, though…"

Blue spoke about me in his emails? Wait, before that, "H-How old do you think I am?"

Daisy thought about it, humming with a hand curled around her chin as she looked me up-and-down. "Grandfather said you looked like an eight year old, but… I want to say you're ten or eleven at best. A couple years younger than Blue, anyway."

At her words, my chest tightened and a lump caught in my throat. I breathed in sharply, unable to believe what I just heard. "Y… You think I look eleven?"

Daisy tilted her head at me, furrowing her brows in concern. "Did I guess wrong?"

From the beginning, I always felt… wrong. Like I was too young and too small, like my arms and legs should be longer than what they were. From the very moment I awoke in Rustboro, I had wanted to cut away my knee-length hair and wear it short.

But then I was abducted, and these feelings of mine only grew worse.

I feel behind the other children in terms of physical growth; constantly beaten by both them and the adults, and starved more often than not. What little food I could eat never had any flavor, so it always felt like a chore. I had to so often remind myself that eating was necessary for survival.

But still- I was left behind.

Small, skinny, weak. My cheeks sunk, and I could make out the shape of my ribs. I became more easily breakable than before. I felt disgusted whenever I looked in the mirror. I began to hate my reflection. I hated it as much as I hated myself. I hated how whenever I looked in the mirror, I didn't recognize myself.

After I escaped and was able to ditch that awful uniform for real clothes, I felt a little bit better.

Then Miss Yuna braided my hair.

It was cutesy and fitting for a child- a healthy child. I grew disgusted just seeing myself with them. When I met Brock, he began to brush and braid my hair in the researcher's place; and while I hated how I looked with my braids, it felt nice having him take care of my hair. I was left with such painful and contradictory feelings.

I was a child… who had never been treated as a child.

Being dressed up in such adorable clothes with my sickly frame only emphasized that. I was covered in scars and bandages, and my left arm was crooked beyond repair- cursed to be numb for the rest of my days. My right arm was burned from wrist to elbow. I had been a skeleton playing dress-up, and if I thought about it too much it made me want to throw up.

When I was finally able to ditch the cutesy outfit, I put on something that was arguably worse- the sailor uniform. Brock tied my hair back with ribbons then, doing a single large braid this time instead of two small ones. Even though my face had filled out so much more by then, I still looked so wrong in my eyes. I felt more exposed than ever before, no longer having the long sleeves to hide my damaged arms from the world. Dark circles stood out beneath my eyes, a sign of my chronic nightmares.

I hated it.

And then Kōga gave me his scarf… and Blue cut my hair.

When I looked in the mirror that time, the me that I saw… was the most real I had ever felt. My cheeks were more healthy and full, and the dark circles were partially faded. I didn't have the cutesy ribbons or the adorable twin braids. I looked older.

But… I was still so small.

No matter how much I tried to look at myself, to take note of my growth, I still felt so tiny. I felt like a fool playing pretend in a body I didn't know. I grew so slowly, and everyone I had met so far had mistaken me as several years younger than I actually was. I was a teenager trapped as a small child, and the knowledge of that bothered me greatly.

Daisy… said I looked like I was eleven, though.

Not eight or nine.

Eleven.

She thought I was two years younger than I actually was.

I had only grown a few inches since traveling with Brock and Blue, but it must have done something for my image that I hadn't ever noticed due to my warped perception. I feel younger than I am, I feel trapped in this tiny body, but I was healthier and growing- and while it was so painfully and frustratingly slow it was still happening and it was noticeable.

Daisy… noticed.

Slowly, feeling myself start to choke up, I brought a hand up to cover my mouth, my lips curling back in a shaky smile. A bubbly sensation began to well up inside me, trying to show up on my face against my will. "I-I'm thirteen."

I'm thirteen, but I look eleven.

"Oh!" Daisy was stunned. "I-I'm so sorry, I… didn't realize…"

"N-No! No, it's… okay! It's… good." I can't believe it. I had thought Brock was just trying to make me feel better before. I didn't think I actually looked a bit older.

It… It made me feel…

"Chansey?" Remedy waddled up to my side and tugged on my scarf. I choked up, looking down at her with teary eyes. The pokēmon smiled warmly at me, her big blue eyes sparkling.

She could sense it. She knew what it was I was feeling.

After all, Chansey was a pokēmon that was said to bring happiness to those around her. She thrived on it. She searched for the sad and the wounded and the sick, and offered her aid to bring them joy. To make them healthy and happy.

And, at this current moment, I was ecstatic.

"I'll be fourteen in a couple months, but…" I'm not as small as I was when I first left Team Rocket. Biting down hard on my bottom lip, I held Susie with both arms and whirled around to look up at Brock, who was still standing beside me. He raised his brows at my stare, not failing to notice the way my eyes were shining through the tears. "She said I look eleven!"

"She did." He agreed. Brock's smile matched Remedy's in terms of warmth and kindness. "Maybe it's all those Chansey eggs you've been eating! They're chock full of nutrition, so your body has been getting what it needs to grow!"

"A-And your cooking!" It's because of him taking care of me and making sure I ate proper meals that I was able to gain so much weight in such a short time. It still wasn't enough, but I was definitely getting better.

Brock gave a soft chuckle, and I closed my eyes and leaned into his touch when he reached out to gently tousle my hair. "It's important to have a healthy diet, especially when you're traveling. I'm just glad I can help you, El."

I was on the verge of bouncing on my heels. I held Susie up, her fur tickling my chin. "I look eleven!"

Was I repeating myself? Yes.

Did I care? No.

I was just really happy.

"You'll probably look even older once we get you some proper clothes." Brock mused, only adding to my growing excitement. He kept his hand on my head, laughing when he noticed the slight bounce I was doing. "You're growing up!"

"I am!"

Susie let out a happy mew, sensing the absolute joy and positivity radiating from me, and allowed me to boop her paw against Brock's smiling face. A huge grin had spread across my own, so wide it hurt- my cheeks feeling like they were about to split in half.

"I'm not as tiny!"

Blue barked out his own laugh. "You kidding me? You're still a squirt no matter how I look at ya!"

"Shush it!" I spun around to face him, glaring. "I'm bigger than I was! A-And I'll be bigger than you soon, too!"

"Uh-huh, keep dreaming."

"I will!" I retorted, and seeing him stick his tongue out at me I did the same, blowing a raspberry, and the boy cackled.

Daisy looked thoroughly amused, while Bill watched the scene take place with big eyes, not at all used to seeing me act like this. It was understandable, seeing as the last time we spoke I was still repressing the majority of my emotions and had a very small sense of identity.

Curling a hand close to her chest, the pokēmon contest star smiled. "I'm glad to see that you all get along. When my grandfather told me Blue was traveling with you two, I was really worried… but I'm relieved that he's in good hands. Thank you… and… thank you for being his friends."

"Jeez…" Blue huffed and ruffled his hair, resting a hand on his hip. Ansem barked, pawing at the boy's fingers- before straight up just nibbling on them. Surprisingly, Blue let it happen, unbothered by his fangs gnawing at his hand. "You worry too much."

She giggled. "I think I worry the right amount, given all the stress you put me through. Anyways, you mentioned needing new clothes?"

Bill jolted, realizing he could finally add to the conversation instead of standing uncomfortably in the background, and he jumped forwards, hugging his bag of machine parts to his chest. "Y-Yes'm! That was what they said! I-I offered to pay for their new clothes! After all, it was my fault they got stuck there in that big cruise ship… I figured it was the least I could do in way of an apology."

"We had this talk with El already." Blue sighed, giving the fanatic a look. "That wasn't either of your faults. Team Rocket ambushed the trainers on board and sank the ship. We just got caught up in it."

"El and Blue really do need new clothes, though." Brock said, standing up straight again and folding his arms over his chest. "They're both stained with blood, and El's has been shredded repeatedly. I've patched it up as best I could, but… I don't think there's any way of getting all that blood out of her shirt. No amount of bleach or laundry tricks will be able to save it."

Daisy nodded slowly. "I see your point… but, Brock, don't you think you should get some new clothes as well?"

"Huh?" His eyebrows rose high and he unfolded his arms, looking down at himself. His jacket and jeans were stained with dirt, and the hems were fraying. Even his sneakers looked to be coming apart. "O-Oh, uh…"

Brock chuckled sheepishly and scratched his cheek.

"I… guess it probably couldn't hurt…"

Blue shook his head at him. "You're so busy fussing over us and all our pokēmon you forgot to fix up your own clothes, huh?"

The former gym leader looked embarrassed.

Still brimming with happiness from the compliment I got from Daisy about my age, I held Susie up and set her on my head. The Vulpix mewed, and from atop Blue's head Ansem mimicked my pose as I pointed a finger in the air. "Onwards… to the clothing aisle! Wherever that is!"

Bill blinked. "You've really changed since we last met, haven't ya?"

"Of course!" I was still a little uncomfortable acting out like this in front of Daisy and Bill, but at the moment I felt so happy I found it hard to care. I just stood and placed my hands on my waist, puffing my chest out with a large toothy smirk- one that could put even Blue's to shame. "I'm nearly human now!"

"…Huh?"

Blue sputtered and burst out laughing, wrapping an arm around his stomach as he bent over, cackling loud as could be, while Brock snorted and smacked a hand to his face, trying to muffle his chuckles. "M-More like you're an actual child now!"

I sent him a dirty look. "Shut it!"

"You shut it."

"Ansem-!"

"Nope!" Blue grabbed Ansem before the pokēmon could try anything, and tossed the Eevee at me. I yelped, scurrying to catch him, and Ansem squealed as I caught him in my arms. Blue laughed triumphantly, pointing at me. "Nice try! Better luck next time, kid!"

"Hey-"

He gave me a mock salute of two fingers, a smirk, and wink, and then took off running. Umbreon was quick to run alongside him. "Catch me if you can, squirt!"

"Oi!" I took off after him, carrying Ansem in my arms. "Get back here, you jerk!"

"Ha! Can you keep up with those tiny legs!?"

"Bluuuue!"

"Smell ya later!"

Bill looked so confused, and as I chased Blue to the floor where the clothing was being sold on, heading up the staircase while everyone walked to the elevator, Brock let out an exasperated sigh and shouted, a hand to his lips, "No running in the store, you two!"

Daisy just let out a delighted laugh, more than happy to see her brother having fun.

Upon reaching the clothing floor, the group arrived to see me wrestling with Blue, the boy grinning as I clung to his arm and tried to put him in a headlock. It failed. He ended up putting me in the headlock instead. Ansem was dangling from his leg, teeth buried in his boot, while Susie had taken to pawing at Blue's face, trying to help free me from him without doing any actual harm.

It was a little silly.

Brock was not amused, though. The boy scolded us and pulled Blue and I away from each other, a hand on our shoulders as he told us to behave. Shortly after, Daisy walked over and led us away to some clothing racks, leaving Brock to sigh and update the very confused Bill on my development and on everything that's happened.

The redhead blinked, let out a small "Ohhh," and watched as Susie hopped off of me to run back to her trainer. Ansem took his rightful place on top of my head, climbing up on my shoulders like a gremlin. "You kids've been mighty busy, huh? Are you sure ya'll are really okay?"

"We're getting by." Brock answered with a smile, lifting Susie up to place her on his shoulder. He rested his hands on his hips. "I'm just… glad El's finally opened up to us."

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you all think in the comments, and have a wonderful day/night wherever you are! Stay safe! 💕