As things stood, the conversation was definitely going in the right direction. I learned some pretty interesting things about Anne as the hours passed. The first thing I picked up on was when she started talking about her business, she never stopped unless I prompted her to.
"…and then I made my stand and told my friends that…"
Ok maybe I was phasing in and out of the conversation with grunts but she was entertaining with her storytelling, more so than myself. Her expression turned darker after I told her about the whole S.S. Oceania situation that I had gone through, which resulted in her asking more questions about the thief than I had answers for. Thankfully, she dropped the subject when I started eating an Oran berry, which was where we were right now.
"That's lovely," I interjected at random, "but can we please get on to how I'm supposed to, you know, keep my Larvesta alive?"
"Vesta–"
"Yes, I know," I rolled my eyes, "you're strong enough to survive in the wild alone."
It was hard to believe that when she demanded that I taste the Pecha cake first, and then cut it up into slices for her. She hadn't even entertained the idea that maybe Anne would want some as well.
Anne laughed when Larvesta lifted her face from the cake and it was smothered in pink frosting, "oh she's so cute!"
"Vesta! Larvesta!"
"Ok, ok I'm sorry!" she held her hands up in mock surrender. "You look as menacing as ever."
It was good to see that she didn't view all Fire-type Pokémon with the same disdain. I wasn't sure there was anything that I could do, bar getting a Charizard skull mounted in my home, that could have convinced her to help me if I had a Charmander problem. She'd probably tell me to sort out my own problems.
No, she wouldn't. She was too kind, too trusting it seemed. But, then again, wasn't I? The League probably wouldn't appreciate me blabbing about some high-profile criminal running amok in their region to every stranger I encountered.
Anne felt like more of a friend than anything else though, despite me only speaking to her for one day I felt closer to her than any other person alive. Not that there was a long list of people that I was friends with, mind you.
"Pecha cake seems like the perfect thing for a Pokémon like Larvesta, don't you think?" she asked me with a smile.
"Yes, and again, thank you so much. It means the world that I have some help with giving her the nutrition she needs," I stressed the nutrition to make it known to Larvesta that the cake was exactly that, a cake, and not a nutritious berry to eat.
That didn't please my Pokémon at all. She even pointed her whorled horns at me menacingly. "No cake for you until you eat the rest of your berries."
"VESTA!"
"No, I'm not having it. Now, if you'd please let go–"
She shot a weak Ember in my direction, forcing me to narrowly dodge the move. I couldn't believe my eyes, Larvesta was stuck to the bottom of the large plate, outright refusing my order to leave the cake well enough alone! For such a powerful Pokémon she sure was grumpy.
We needed a compromise.
"Hey," I softened my voice and raised my arm up high so I could talk to my Pokémon properly, "would you like a walk through the garden?"
She grumbled for a moment likely thinking that I was trying to get a better deal for myself. Her horn then pointed in the direction of the Pecha berry bag. To me it seemed like a fair deal – to Larvesta it was a win-win situation.
"You two work really well together," Anne said. "Very well, actually. You two seem to almost know precisely what the other intends to do."
"I was outsmarted by an insect, now is not the time to question my intellect–" Larvesta rumbled the plate again, hungry yet again, "–and please stop rewarding her bad behaviour with compliments.
I dodged another Ember.
"I know you're hungry, Mrs Grumpy, but you need to be on the floor if we're going to do this right."
Larvesta didn't move.
"Oh, you sneaky shit! You want the cake and the berries, don't you!?"
Finally, Larvesta dropped to the floor like she hadn't just been hanging upside down, stuck to a cake plate for five minutes, and walked to the glass pane with determination. She begrudgingly accepted that I had caught her red-handed, or black-legged in this case.
"I do have to say that she is a very driven Pokémon, very driven in fact," Anne walked beside me with a larger skip to her step than before. "She's a female as well, it makes her that much more special."
"Hey!" I tried to sound offended, "Male Lavesta are cool as well."
"Just saying, she's special and it's not just because of her sex, it's her power. Like, those Embers, for example, Arceus I was ten feet away and even I broke a sweat. I can't even imagine what her evolved form will be like."
Knowing Larvesta was intentionally moving slowly to overhear us, I added, "It's only because of the berries. The more gas she builds up from being still, the more likely her fire burns hot, like super hot.
"Then why don't all Larvesta do that? They'd never get caught, though, which is sad, so I guess a moving Larvesta isn't such a bad thing."
"Ever actually seen a Larvesta stand still for long?"
She hummed for a moment briefly shrugging her shoulders, "No, I don't think so–"
"It's because the longer they remain still, the greater the excess of gas that gets built up in their bodies, at the downside of preventing oxygen circulation. They would asphyxiate, painfully."
"How would it be painful?"
I tried to recall the precise words in the 'Fire Fizzler Guide' but came up a little short, so I went with one memory I had in class. "Imagine holding in a burp, and each time it comes up, it gets hotter and hotter. Eventually, the gas becomes so hot that it boils all of your organs."
She didn't respond and instead walked in step with me, her face falling. "That's quite sad, so they can never stop moving, can they?"
I didn't answer, but I did see Larvesta suddenly pick up her pace. "Only when their nutritional needs are being met can they appropriately adapt. The longer they have a good diet and are cared for well, the longer they can remain still and not pass out or even die."
"How do I pull this open?" Anne yanked at the handle and pulled with all her might… in the incorrect direction.
"Here," I gently grasped the handle and moved it upward. I'm 100 per cent sure I heard her mutter something along the lines of 'stupid handle' or words to that effect.
"Vesta?"
"Yes, this is our new garden… I'm not sure if you even saw my last one, regardless, this is our garden now."
There were more trees here than I had seen before, probably because I glossed over it when moving the Shellos out of their… temporary accommodations. I could still see their pink hues in the distance, squirting weak water moves at each other. Ivy lined the wall leading up to my bedroom, housing quite a few Bug-type Pokémon that Larvesta found highly annoying, and a round pond stood still fifteen feet away.
Larvesta ignored the Pokémon on the Ivy but they were curious about her. One Butterfree had the courage to use a weak Silver Wind on her, but it did not end very well.
"Stop burning my ivy!" I shouted wafting the air around it until the blaze died down.
"Vesta," she huffed waddling away like some action hero.
"What the hell was that about?" Anne asked in a confused tone.
"She is being a drama queen," I rolled my eyes, "Larvesta nests are expansive and they don't like other Pokémon nearby."
"So she's going to kill every Pokémon here?"
My voice didn't exit my mouth in its usual confident tone. "I wish I knew… maybe she's just trying to assess for any threats. She could have killed that Butterfree if she so wished, but she elected to mostly ignore it until the whole… you know…"
"Silver Wind debacle?" she finished.
"Yeah," I rattled the Pecha berry bag to draw Larvesta near. "Hey girl, I mean no offence here, but could you please reconsider harming the grounds? I did just buy this place and I want other Pokémon to feel safe here, other Fire-types."
"Ves, Vesta."
Huh. How about that? "Thanks… hey do you want to eat out of my palm again?"
"Not the right one, though," Anne whispered. I was secretly glad she hadn't rebuked the idea of other Fire-types coming here, then again what was stopping her from never returning again?
That made me frown a little but I shook away the sadness. Today was a good day and I wanted it to end on a good note. The previous owners of the house had left behind some gardening equipment and lawn chairs, they claimed they were moving to the inner city of another region and would no longer need the items.
No extra charge was added to the deal as well, which was a bonus for me. The chairs were small but still comfortable enough to relax in.
The telltale signs of a storm brewing started with the occasional droplet of water that ran down the side of Larvesta's mane. Before long, there was a torrential downpour and we had no choice but to retreat inside.
"Ugh," Anne grunted, "I thought this nonsense was over with by now."
"Do you think it's a powerful Pokémon?"
She scoffed, "Not really. Besides, I doubt Cynthia would let a Pokémon destroy Sinnoh."
"How do you know?" I raised an eyebrow, "secretly working for her, are you?"
"I'd be living in a much better place if I was, trust me on that."
Ouch. I could practically feel her hate for this city. There wasn't much to the city but that in itself was what made it incredible. I already knew where the most important locations were and I'd only been here for a day.
"I kind of like the city."
"Eh, you're not exactly in the city though, are you?"
"I sure hope I am… that real estate agent might've lied to me though, he seemed oddly happy to be selling this place."
"What I meant," she stressed, "was that this is right on the border between man and nature! You can go for a run with your Pokémon whenever you want. I can't do that."
We both looked out of the kitchen window at the enormous high rises in the distance. The odd occasional crane dotted the grounds around the apartments; every so often, one of them would move an inch and then stop for the next hour. It was a miracle that the city even functioned.
Her words caught up to me eventually and I broke out into a fit of laughter.
She looked at me like I'd lost my mind. "Are you ok?"
"It's just… I can't imagine Larvesta running for anything ever. My imagination can't even place what that would even look like." I quickly returned Larvesta when the temperature in the room suddenly shot up. "Feisty bugger."
"Can you blame her? I mean you did technically just call her fat."
"I didn't, she could run for all I know," my face scrunched up. "Actually, no, she can't run."
Anne watched me closely and rolled her eyes. "Why not? A little exercise never does any harm."
It does if you're being bombarded by comments from bystanders that want your Pokémon, though. I didn't tell her that much but surely she could piece together why constantly having her out was just asking for trouble.
"Larvesta are rare."
"Mhm," she reached for my Poké ball that I had left on the counter. "Seems to me that you're a wuss."
"A what now!"
She released Larvesta again who all of a sudden seemed very smitten with the berry lady. I left them to get to know each other. My plan was a tad bit manipulative. The closer Anne got to Larvesta, the more Pecha berries were available for me.
My stomach growled.
"Ugh, I'm going to make myself something." I waited for a response, but none came. Anne rubbed between Larvesta's feet and she danced on the spot at the feeling. I might've known lots about Pokémon but I'd never actually handled one for a long amount of time. Anne had me beat on that front, sadly I didn't know the margin to which I had been beaten.
I mused that she had to have been older than me. Not by much, but older. The way she spoke of the city… it sounded much more vibrant whenever she described it, like she was looking at it through a different perspective.
The fridge door popped open with a wave of my hand, Arceus I love technology, and I slapped myself on the face. How, of all things, did I forget to get some groceries for my first week in a new region?
"Erm, Anne, I'm going to go out and get some food."
"Ok, have fun!" she replied. Now I know for a fact she hadn't heard me right.
I tutted loud enough for both my Pokémon and her to hear. "I don't think so, come on, I need someone to show me around."
"But you said you already knew where the most important places were, you told me so outside!"
Why was she fighting me so hard on this point?
"Yeah, I kind of forgot about food. Oh and water as well."
"You have a tap for water," she commented. "And you have… grass outside. Yes, grass. That's edible."
I looked at her like she had grown another head. "I am not going to, nor will I ever, eat grass. What's wrong, do you not like the supermarket?"
She gave me that look. The one I had grown accustomed to from Rayla. Anger. "The supermarkets help with the shipment of Pokémon."
"Great! Maybe I can ask them for some guidance with–"
"No."
"What?"
"The supermarkets ship Pokémon on the orders of criminal affiliates." My eyes widened when she paused and released one of the Pokémon from its ball in front of me. "This is a–"
"Delibird?"
"Don't say his name like that!" she crouched beside the frosted bird, her fingers trembled when it let out a misty breath. "He's sensitive to rude comments."
"Deli–"
"No, there's no need to apologise for anything. It's been a while since you've last been out of your ball, so don't worry."
He chirped to what I thought was the affirmative. Delibird were a fascinating Pokémon indeed, with the obscure ability to fashion a present out of thin air, they were highly prized and highly valuable. I loved the fact that he shared a similar-looking mane to Larvesta – and by the looks of it, so did she.
I didn't fail to notice the miraculous pie he had managed to fish out of his white bag. This was right after she whispered something into his ear as well.
As much as I really wanted to buy some frozen pizzas, I needed to appease this woman. Even if we were in my home and I was the one who laid down the rules. It was getting late as well, and I'd rather not encounter any more unsavoury people, especially at night time. Speaking of which, I intended on walking her home after this.
It was the least I could do.
"Fine, fine. Give me that pie," I grabbed it and set it down on the counter. "What did you mean by the supermarkets helping out criminals?"
"I never said they were willing to do it–"
"But–"
"But nothing. They're forced to help out… or so I've been told."
"By who?" I asked growing slightly suspicious. "You know I was joking about you working for Cynthia earlier, right?" I clenched my sweaty hands and my breathing became unstable.
"Contacts…" she ignored the whole Cynthia comment. Not a good sign.
"Where?" I pushed. "Where can someone find such information? You're working for someone on the side aren't you?"
"Ugh," she plopped down on a stool and stuck a fork deep into the meaty pie. "Fine, I work as a P.I on the side. Berries don't sell as much as they used to, and I won't battle with mentally inefficient Pokémon."
Ouch, even I flinched at that. Delibird groaned and sent a small, rounded Ice Shard across the counter and it clicked loudly against her knuckles. She winced in pain and apologised for her comment.
Delibird turned away from her but I heard him snickering. I guess he wasn't as mentally inefficient as she thought. For a brief moment, I wondered what the rest of her roster looked like. How ironic would it be if she suddenly pulled out a Charizard?
"So I guess it's true."
"What?" she asked abruptly, dropping her fork on the counter. I ignored Larvesta's beady eyes and slow, imperceptible movements as she approached the dropped fork.
"You are what you eat."
"What?" she bit her lip and stared at the window. I waited patiently for her to put two and two together. "Pie… P.I… oh you think you're funny don't you?"
Giggles burst forth from my mouth and I had to steady myself against the wooden counter, holding it tightly. "Oh you should have seen your face–"
"Vesta!" my Pokémon shouted. I'd like to think that she was laughing as well, although it felt impossible to prove.
Anne's cheeks blazed red and steam erupted from her ears. "Let's leave, Delibird."
"Wait!" I cut her off, "I still need help with the whole Pecha berry thing."
Delibird threw his sack on the floor with a loud thud, pointing to it with a smiling face, or maybe that's how he always looked…
"Pecha berries…?" I took three out and handed them to Larvesta for safekeeping. They were targeted by my bug immediately. Anne had to run interference and lift Larvesta up, much to her annoyance.
"Just in case you think it's an endless reservoir, I told Delibird to bring all the Pecha we had in his bag. All of these should last a week, maybe less."
Maybe less? How the hell was Larvesta supposed to eat twenty berries in one week? I turned to her and felt my doubts vanish. She had consumed almost a third of that Pecha cake with room to spare. Ugh, I needed that money from selling my mother's house wired to me soon.
"Why are you helping me out so much?" I just had to ask, I needed to know. "Do you want something in return?"
It appeared that in a way we were both trying to get something from each other. She wore a very guilty 'caught red-handed face' if I'd ever seen one.
"I need your help."
And there it is.
"This won't be a one-time thing, will it? You're the only person that has access to berries in the city."
She held out a hand and I went silent. The rain pattered against windows and filled the silence of the room with a comforting symphony. Nature slowly started to emerge from the nearest treeline; Butterfree and Spinarak emerged in droves to seek sanctuary in an area of my garden I had yet to explore.
I let them do their thing.
"No, it won't be a one-time thing. I think it'd be mutually beneficial for us to actually work together. I have some contacts that actively grow the berries from which I source the product directly, but I do need help with my… other career, too."
The deal sounded good so far. "Go on," I nodded.
"But it's a pain to get them shipped here. If we go 50/50 on the costs, I'll reduce the cost of them for you if you buy in bulk. Plus, if you do that, I'll help raise your other Fire-types whenever you can't–"
This sounded way too good to be true now. Not only was I getting a discount, but also a potential future employee. The whole P.I thing must be way more dangerous than she was letting on.
"–regardless of the time or day. Well, maybe early morning might be a hassle to deal with, however, I am open to listening to what you have to say." She finished that in such a quick burst of speech, I was surprised that she wasn't feeling light-headed.
She wanted to sell the deal really badly. I weighed my options before answering her. Sure, she seemed nice but I hadn't yet grasped what she wanted me to do for her yet. There wasn't to be a contract for this kind of deal, so it was more so a verbal agreement. A friend helping a friend.
"What do you need my help for in your other job, Anne?" I eventually asked, tapping the wooden counter nervously. "I won't stalk people needlessly."
"Oh," why did she sound so excited all of a sudden? "you have no idea."
"You're giving me the willies," I confessed.
"Have you ever heard of Team Galactic?"
Team Galactic? No, I'd never heard of such a thing. "No? Are they something to do with the reason why you won't buy things from the supermarket?"
She slowly nodded. "It's not just that… they're like some kind of plague. They infest everything they touch and try to alter it to their ideal image. I've tagged a few people over the past few months," she reached into Delibird's bag and retrieved some kind of GPS device, "and it seems to me that they're preparing for something."
"You thinking terrorist organisation?" I questioned.
She hummed, "No, well, I'm not too sure about what they do exactly. I know they're backed by some rich people to do some stuff here and there. Maybe the occasional riot when a Gym Leader is indisposed… that kind of thing.
To me, it felt like she was omitting a great deal of information. I didn't blame her as I hadn't agreed to anything yet, but she was still sharing a fair amount of information – more than she should've.
"If you are a P.I as you claim," I began, "then who exactly is telling you to watch these people?"
"How do you know I'm not doing it out of goodwill?"
I watched her closely, meeting her eyes with the same fire in my own. "Nothing's free, nothing. But I appreciate the cake and the Pecha berries you've given me today," I turned to face the storm outside, "yet you did so because you want me to help you. I think you already know I'm on your side."
"My my," she teased, "reading me like a book. Tsk, tsk."
"Well," I prodded with a smile, "what do you have to say for yourself?"
"I'm not as innocent as I'm playing up to be," she admitted. "I want the world to be a safer place but this will make you many enemies. Larvesta will never be safe if you help me and neither will you."
"I don't like safety."
Anne stared at me for a long time before adding, "Then do I have your word that you will help me stop these people?"
"Yup."
"Don't say 'yup' this is a big deal!"
"Larvesta?" I called out. "Larvesta stop playing with Delibird for a second–"
"Vesta?"
"C'mere," she waddled over to us and climbed up my leg, doing circles every so often to regulate her body temperature. "Wanna do something somewhat crazy and help out a potential agent of the League?"
Anne audibly scoffed at that and whined that there wasn't any wine in, "…I mean wow, who doesn't have alcohol in?"
"I'm seventeen," I lightly pushed her Pokémon away from my legs, "but I won't be for long."
"You haven't even prepared for a party. Unbelievable."
"I wasn't expecting to make friends so soon–"
"You can't keep avoiding the Mamoswine in the room," Anne moved around to stand in front of me. "I need an answer now."
"Lar, Larvesta!" my Pokémon agreed. I think it's because she's in love with that blasted Delibird, eh whatever.
"Ok. I'm in."