Chapter 10: Forest Talks
A few hours had passed since they all talked and the three met up at the entrance to the Fairy Tale Forest. "Ok, so are you two ready to head to Fairy Tale Grove?" Cherry asked as she looked at the time.
"Yep, we want to get there as soon as we can." Echo told Cherry.
"Still, are you sure? Because I've heard a few creepy things about this Forest at night." Cherry cautioned, slightly rolling her eyes a bit.
"Cherry, quick rhetorical question, do we look like kids?" Hibiki said with a smile. Cherry simply nodded and giggled a bit at the question. As they kept talking, there was a ding that all of them didn't notice as a lot of the lights powered on for night time. "By the way Cherry, do you have a Pokemon on you? It's probably a stupid question, but it's at least a good thing to make sure of." Hibiki questioned.
"I do actually." Cherry said as she got out a Pokeball. She threw it in the air and called out a Litwick that appeared in her arms, happily wiggling and cheering.
"Oh, is this the last starter?" Echo questioned as Hibiki pet Litwick.
"Yep, he took a liking to me and I decided to bring him along." Cherry said.
"Actually that brings up a question I wanted to know, what kind of Pokemon live in the Fairy Tale Forest… and why is it called that anyway?" Hibiki questioned.
"The Fairy Tale Forest, as the name implies is home to a lot of Fairy, Bug, and Grass Type Pokemon, but it's also home to a few Poison and Dark type Pokemon. As for why it's like that, supposedly it's a hold over from before Alaria was founded." Cherry explained as Litwik floated out of her arms and hovered next to here.
"Really?" Echo said, now a bit curious.
"I really don't want to go into the lecture about Alaria's history, but let's just leave it at the fact that this region is still fairly new, only maybe formed about 80 years ago. The only reason we're as developed as we are is because of our neighbors in Orre and Kalos." Cherry told the two.
"Interesting, I might have to sit down and talk with you about history later. Not to sound mean or anything, but I know my sis isn't exactly the biggest history buff when it comes to the world in general." Echo told Cherry.
"I mean, you're not exactly wrong there. I do pay attention though, it just has to involve pokemon." Hibiki said. Cherry laughed at that, completely understanding where Hibiki was coming from. "By the way Miss Cherry, do you mind if I ask you something that I've been wondering since you showed us that picture?" Hibiki asked.
"Just Cherry is fine and sure, go ahead." Cherry responded.
"I was just curious why you're so set on finding out the cause of the Blackout Events and seeing if it is a Pokemon. Granted, I get it, you're a Pokemon Professor and all of that, but why are you so interested in it anyway?" Hibiki questioned. Cherry thought about that for a moment before sighing heavily and looking up.
"I suppose it's so I can have some closure myself. I don't want to get into it too much, but there are a lot of deaths around the Blackout Events and one of them was someone close to me." Cherry said, a hint of sadness in her voice. Hibiki then turned a bit pale as she awkwardly rubbed the back of her head, a bit embarrassed and ashamed at the response she received. "Don't beat yourself up over it, I would have let it slp at some point." Cherry told Hibiki, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"You make a good point. Still doesn't make me not feel bad." Hibiki sighed.
"Come on sis, like she said, it's nothing to be so embarrassed or ashamed about. Not like I don't get where you're coming from though." Echo said. The group walked on in awkward silence as the immediate scenery started to turn from grassy plains to dusk woods as they entered the Fairy Tale Forest.
As they continued along, Hibiki stopped for a moment and looked at Cherry. "Look, I'm sorry that I can be socially awkward at times. I just… felt like saying that." Hibiki said sheepishly.
"It's fine, trust me when I say that I get it." Cherry said with a smile.
"I may as well also jump in and say that you better get used to this, she does this whole thing a lot." Echo said.
"Hey!" Hibiki shouted, a bit offended. Cherry simply giggled at that as she looked around and noticed a few different Pokemon going about their business.
"Actually feel like I should ask this because it feels appropriate, what kinds of teams are you two looking to make?" Cherry questioned.
"I know that I want a more Electric and Steel focused team, but I wouldn't say no to anything else. Hibiki on the other hand… no clue." Echo told Cherry.
"That's… correct. There's just so many Pokemon that I want to try. Like I know that there's several types of teams out there that are balanced, but I really could care less about balance." Hibiki said, glancing from side to side a bit.
"So you want a team full of Pokemon you like but like way too many of them?" Cherry replied.
"Exactly." Hibiki said simply.
"Why do I feel that exact pain?" Cherry commented.
"I thought being a Pokemon Professor would mean you have access to basically every Pokemon in the region." Echo said.
"I mean, that's partially true. I have access to study every Pokemon in the Region, not use aside from those that I'm given as starters." Cherry explained. The group kept talking about Pokemon related things as Hibiki brought Melody out to just enjoy the chat. Eventually, it became night time and the group set up camp for the day, with Echo doing the cooking, Hibik setting up the tents, Cherry looking over the lenses and gloves, and all their Pokemon mingling with each other.
"Ok all, food's ready!" Echo called out. The Pokemon all cheered as they all took or were given their food and ate along with their trainers.
"Wow Echo, this is really good." Cherry said.
"Thanks, I've been practicing for this very reason. Normally I would let Hibiki try doing this… but let's just say her cooking is sometimes the spontaneous combustion kind." Echo said, giving an eye to her sister.
"I will have you know that I've only made 4 meals burst into flames thank you very much." Hibiki said proudly.
"...You aren't in the best cooker are you?" Cherry asked.
"Oh god no, not in the slightest. Even if I had control of my powers I would be shit at it." Hibiki said.
"I thought you could control them from what I remember seeing of you." Cherry said, a bit surprised by the statement.
"Well it's a bit finicky at times. To keep it a long story short, Hibiki has control over some of her powers, but not all of them and they are very prone to her emotional state." Echo explained.
"That… makes sense to me. From what I know about psychics and esper, espers are more prone to random emotional outbursts." Cherry casually added. This surprised both Echo and Hibiki, who both looked at Cherry with surprise. "What? Just because I'm a Pokemon Professor doesn't mean I have other hobbies." Cherry said as she continued to eat her food.
"We mean no offense, but we didn't think there was someone in the region who actually studied psychics and Espers." Echo told Cherry.
"I suppose that makes sense, not many people do. I do it because it's fun to think about the supernatural side of the world." Cherry responded.
"Actually… this is a rare chance I'll have to ask this question then. You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but I've always wondered, what is the difference between a psychic and an esper?" Hibiki questioned. Cherry tilted her head for a moment as she thought about the question and simply smiled after a few seconds.
"I suppose you're right in that regard. I should warn you that this explanation will take a bit of time as there is a good amount of info to go over…. and some of it you two might not" Cherry warned the two, who had just finished their food. They both simply looked at each other and nodded before looking back at Cherry.
"Ok then, to start let's distinguish what powers make up Psychics, Hex Maniacs, and Espers. In general all three share a common trait of general magical ability; levitation, simple illusion tricks, things like that. Where they differ is what powers they use beyond simple magic.
Psychics are generally male and mainly focus on amplifying that basic magic to varying higher levels; more complex tricks, stronger levitation, ect. While they don't quite reach a Psychic Pokemon's level, those that master it can get quite close to it. Of the three I'm talking about, they are easily the most common.
Hex Maniacs are generally female and are more focused on the occult side of mage. Nothing demonic or anything, but stuff like summoning rituals, placing curses, and having a general spooky nature to them. Some Hex Maniacs can even do the opposite of what you might expect, sometimes being the ones that expel ghosts.
Espers have both female and male users in their ranks, but they are by far the rarest of the three, usually only happening if a Legendary Pokemon blessed their bloodline in some way. This blessing is usually depicted as a symbol somewhere on their body, usually the back. Their powers, while they might not manifest until later in life, are basically the stuff you see in movies and the like; elemental powers, space manipulation, time manipulation, and all the in between stuff. One drawback to all of this is that an Esper's powers can be a bit hard to control for various reasons, ranging from straight up denial to emotional outbursts. It is very possible for an Esper to end up killing themselves due to an outburst, but those that do end up mastering their powers are some of the most skilled trainers in the world."
As Cherry finished up, she noted that Hibiki seemed a bit tense. "So are there any questions that you two have about all of that?" Cherry asked.
"I suppose one that I have is simply, why are Espers usually never heard about in the world of Pokemon?" Echo questioned.
"That is for a very simple reason, they don't like to be in the spotlight. While I have no idea how true that is, would you like to be in the spotlight if you had near absurd levels of power?" Cherry responded. Echo simply nodded with content at that answer as Hibiki spoke up.
"Was my grandma an Esper?" Hibiki choked out. Echo and Cherry looked at Hibiki in surprise as she shook a bit.
"Well… that one I can safely answer no. I personally know your grandmother and she never showed any signs of being one." Cherry told Hibiki.
"I see, but why wasn't she one?" Hibiki inquired.
"Simply put, it just skipped her. While your bloodline is blessed by a Pokemon, it doesn't necessarily mean every generation will have an Esper in it. Hell, a lot of the time Espers never even awaken their powers in their lifetime, most just live full lives without even knowing that they were one." Cherry told Hibiki. Hibiki simply nodded, seeming content with this answer. "To make it not awkward, I'll stop here for now, but feel free to ask anytime about this stuff, I'm always happy to help." Cherry said as she stood up.
"Speaking of stopping, it's getting late. We should probably turn in for the night." Echo said as she yawned. Hibiki opened her mouth to say something, but a yawn came out instead as she covered her mouth.
"Yeah we should go to bed." Hibiki said. Their Pokemon simply nodded as they all headed to their respective tents and went to bed.
As the night went on, Echo eventually woke up and stretched as she got out of her tent to take in the forest air. "Wow, now I can see why Mom wanted me and Hibiki to get out of the house more. This is nice." Echo said to herself. She took a moment to stretch and walk around the camp before going back to sleep. As she was walking, she noticed Hibiki's tent open and saw her sister sitting a bit away from the camp and looking to the stars as the forest lit up around them.
"So this is the sky she always looked up to?" Hibiki thought as she held her necklace in her hand tight. She heard someone walking up behind her and turned to see Echo standing next to her.
"Mind if I take a seat sis?" Echo questioned. Hibiki simply nodded and she took a seat, the two of them staying silent as various sounds filled the air.
"So… I take it you want to talk to me about something?" Hibiki asked awkwardly, not sure if she should be asking the question.
"You're really nervous about this whole journey aren't you?" Cherry responded.
"What gave you that idea?" Hibiki said, a knowing yet sad smile appearing on her face.
"The fact that you've been very jumpy this whole trip to here is one factor. I don't think I need to mention the entirety of our visit to Alaria City. Your reaction to the end of Cherry's Lecture is something else that worries me." Echo listed.
"Alright, alright, you made your point. ...Do I really make it that obvious?" Hibiki responded, a bit sheepishly.
"Just a little." Echo said with a giggle. Hibiki softly hit her sister's arm as she smiled and looked up to the stars.
"You're not wrong, I've been nervous about this journey ever since we found out about it last year. Now obviously I am excited, but there was always a part of me that is nervous about all of this." Hibiki admitted, bringing her legs to her chest.
"Why are you nerv… This is about taking care of Melody and living up to grandma's legacy, isn't it?" Echo asked, the realization hitting her hard. Hibiki simply nodded as she put her head on her knees. "... I'm not going to act like that isn't reasonable to be fair. The whole thing with Melody is something I wouldn't dare try and say that I would even think about attempting to help. I mean no offense to you, but I just don't have it in me." Echo told Hibiki.
"You're not wrong, but you know how kind I am. I honestly just can't help myself, especially when it comes to Pokemon." HIbiki said.
"I know, hell I could say the same when it comes to technology. You give me a broken piece of tech, I'll happily do my best to fix it or see if I can make something from it." Echo told Hibiki, a goofy smile on her face. Hibiki simply laughed as she recalled a moment from her sister that she never forgot.
"Do you remember the day that mom brought home that broken holoprojector and you ended up turning it into a small house keeping bot?" Hibiki asked. Echo simply groaned as she remembered that day vividly.
"Yes I do and to this day I will have no idea why I decided to give it a high pitched voice. It was funny at first, but man did it get out of hand fast." Echo said with a small laugh.
"Man I remember you getting so annoyed that you almost decided to break it." Hibiki reminisced.
"I only didn't because you convinced me to and you were right to do so. That thing has helped us around the house so much." Echo said. Hibiki simply nodded as she noticed a presence next to her. "Anyway, I better get back to bed and make sure one of us is awake in the morning." Eco said as she began to get up.
"Actually I want to ask you something." Hibiki said suddenly. Echo curiously looked over to Hibiki, who put a hand to the back of her neck. "Do you think you could draw or take a picture of my Esper Symbol? I want to ask Cherry which Pokemon it belongs to and I would rather not show my back to her." Hibiki asked, a bit of blush appearing on her face. Echo simply giggled at her sister's request as she took out her phone and Hibiki stood up.
"Sure, that's simple enough." Echo said. Hibiki brought up her shirt and showed her back to Echo, who took a picture of the symbol and saved it. "Ok, I got it." Echo said as Hibiki put her shirt down.
"Perfect, I think I'm going to stay outside for a little longer. Just need to air out my worries." Hibiki told her sis.
"All right, see you tomorrow then." Echo said as she went off to her tent. Hibiki then sat back, looking up at the stars as she looked for the presence again.
"Did you have to do that while I was here?" Melody asked as she appeared next to Hibiki, a slight blush on her face.
"Sorry, I knew you were in the area, but I didn't know exactly where." Hibiki said, a bit embarrassed.
"It's fine." Melody responded. The two stayed silent as they sat under the night sky before Melody thought of a question. "Why do you want to be the Alarian Champion aside from wanting to live up to your grandmother's legacy?" Melody asked curiously.
"...Well, I suppose it's because it's always something I strived for, even without my grandmother's legacy. Hell, as much as I want to make her proud, she's not the reason I want to be champion." Hibiki explained.
"Is it more a sense of power? I know that probably isn't the case, but I figured I would get it out of the way." Melody questioned.
"Fair enough. While that idea is nice, I really don't swing that way. The main reason that I want to become champion is more a test of my confidence." Hibiki told Melody.
"Test of Confidence?" Melody repeated.
"If you couldn't tell from my mannerisms, I am the quiet and reserved type of person. I'm usually the one who you wouldn't think much of, but I have a few quirks about myself. That being said, I want to prove to myself that I can make friends and become champion in my own way." Hibiki elaborated, a hint of confidence in her voice. Melody simply nodded as Hibiki stood up and looked to the sky. "Truth be told, I honestly don't know if I can do it and frankly, I don't care. I want to give it a try to prove to myself that I have promise." Hibiki said as she relaxed a little.
"...I see. Then I see no reason not to help you with that goal. Not that I have a choice in that matter at the moment." Melody said as she floated up to Hibiki's head. Hibiki simply nodded, Melody noting a soft determination in her eyes. "I do want you to promise me one thing though." Melody requested.
"What would that be?" Hibiki asked.
"At the end of all of this, whether you do end up becoming the champion or not, I want you to let me go if I want it." Melody responded. Hibiki looked a bit unsurprised at that answer and simply smiled at the response.
"That's a promise I can make." Hibiki told Melody. Melody simply nodded before she quickly looked at Hibiki in a bit of surprise. "I told you before, I want to make friends. I personally don't care if you're my Pokemon at the end of this, even though I've always wanted a Meloetta as a partner. If you can be my friend, that I consider that a victory in my book." Hibiki said as she extended a fist towards Melody. Melody blinked out of surprise before sighing and tapping her hand on Hibiki's fist with a small smile.
"You are one weird trainer, you know that?" Melody said. Hibiki simply nodded before she remembered something and reached into her bag. She quickly pulled out the portable harm that she had and quickly tuned it before strumming it. "I didn't know you played the harp." Melody commented.
"Eh, some talents just come naturally to music lovers." Hibiki said as she checked a few things.
"... Do you mind if I join you if you were planning on playing?" Melody questioned. Hibiki simply nodded and linked her mind to Melody as she thought of a few songs. Melody simply nodded as Hibiki got ready and started to play the first tune in her mind. Melody then sang softly along with the music as the two simply let their music resound throughout the night. The two had nearly lost track of time when after one song, Hibiki let out a loud yawn.
"Man, this really did help my anxiety… and my need to sleep." HIbiki said as she rubbed her eye.
"Agreed." Melody said as she began to float back to the tent. Hibiki followed suit and when the two entered, they both immediately lied down on their respective cots. "See you in the morning." Melody told Hibiki. Hibiki simply nodded as Melody fell asleep, leaving her to stare at the ceiling of the tent.
"This journey is already going very well… but why do I have this strange feeling that it won't last much longer than the next town?" Hibiki thought as she drifted off to sleep.