Sorry I didn't write this chapter yesterday, I was not in the right headspace to do so. So, it's coming out today instead. All in all, this hasn't been a very good beginning to a volume. I'm still very burnt out from college, coupled with the fact that I've been trying to get a job, and you can see why fanfic has, very unfortunately, started taking a backseat in my brain. But, I have no plans on stopping anytime soon, so don't worry about me abandoning this story. But enough about my current mental state, let's get on with this show. A warning, this chapter hasn't had much planning gone into it, in case you couldn't tell from this Author's Note.
Chapter 7:
Changing the Teams
It's been 2 days since their little group left Viridian City. Since the region has less pokémon than the previous 2 they visited, and it's generally smaller, Bonnie thought that maybe they might move a bit quicker through Kanto than they did in Hoenn and Kalos. Boy was she wrong. Apparently, the behaviour of the pokémon native to Kanto is incredibly fascinating, and as a result, he's still just as slow as ever. But, it's not all bad, because she gets to watch him enter his Observant State once more. Ever since they arrived in Kanto, Max hadn't been using his Observant State while documenting the pokémon that can be found around Pallet Town. She understood why, since a small part of him blamed himself for their predicament, which severely affected his ability to take in information about pokémon. Now that they're on the road again, his Observant State has returned, so Bonnie thinks she can deal with the slow pace once more.
Hilbert and Hilda however are amazed by Max and his ability to gather information. They stare in utter shock as he gathers an incredible amount of information in an incredibly short period of time. Eventually, when the group stops for the night, Hilbert asks to see his notebook. Max obliges and hands it over. While Max and Bonnie discuss plans for how she'll take on Pewter Gym, the twins read over Max's notes on the pokémon that he's seen in Kanto. When they finish with that, they also look through his other two notebooks as well, their fascination only increasing. Eventually, they've looked through all 3 notebooks. Hilbert stands up and walks over to Max, holding his notebooks out to him. "Well, I must say that is some incredible work there Max," he says. "I know you must be tired of hearing this, but I'd say there are many researchers out there who would give up the use of their legs to have that kind of analytical mind." Max nods absentmindedly, not wanting to admit that, sometimes, he'd give up the use of his legs to not have this ability anymore.
The next morning, they pack up their things and leave quickly. They don't want to spend too long staying in one place, lest Team Terra catch up with them. They agreed early on that the only times they'd really stop, at least for now, was for dinner and sleep. Other then that, they'd keep going. They'd even eat their lunch while walking, unless they had some reason why they couldn't. These rules don't stop Max form walking really slowly however, which Bonnie notices causes the twins a bit of stress. But, none of them tell him to speed up, because they know that it keeps him happy, and that it's his entire reason for setting out on this journey. But also, Bonnie knows that if he isn't allowed to do this, his dark thoughts and self-hatred will start to consume him. So, she allows him to continue to work on his notes, even if it does cause them to slow down a lot.
Around the afternoon, Max has started slowing down even more than usual. Earlier in the day, he'd taken a picture of a Weedle, and has been trying to stick the picture into his notebook, but it keeps slipping out, leading to him stopping a few times to fix it. Bonnie slows down as well, and is about to yank the notebook out of his hands and demand he fix the picture later, when the two of them here a cry of fear coming to their right. The four of them spin around, ready to take on whatever made that noise, only to find a terrified Weedle burst out of the bushes. It crashed into Max, causing him to drop his notebook. The notebook flies into the air, only to be knocked out of the sky by a small flock of Spearow that are chasing the Weedle. Max and Bonnie run to catch the notebook before something happens to it. Dedenne leaps out of Bonnie's bag and manages to successfully catch the notebook. He throws it back to Max, then aims to fall back into Bonnie's bag. But before he can, a Spearow spots him and swoops down, catching him in his claws, before flying after the Weedle.
Bonnie bellows with rage and fear and chases after the flock. Max, Hilda, and Hilbert follow after her, with Max tucking his notebook safely into his bag, just to be safe. Bonnie releases Talonflame and has her chase the Spearow, while Max release Sceptile to try and grab the antenna pokémon out of the bird's claws. Hilbert and Hilda also join in, releasing an Emboar and Serperior help the two of them. The Spearow clutching Dedenne stands no chance. It's blasted by 4 different pokémon moves at the same time, and hits the ground hard. Luckily, Dedenne is relatively unscathed by the attack, and he squirms his way out of the Spearow's claws, before leaping into Bonnie's arms. "Ok, we got him," says Hilda. "Now let's leave before we piss off that whole flock. Bonnie and Hilbert nod and turn to go, but Max continues to stare at the Weedle being chased. "I have to help it," he says to them, before running after it.
He barely hears his companions' protests as he tears through the forest after the poor Weedle. He ducks through branches, making sure to avoid being seen by the birds. Eventually, he manages to catch up to the Weedle. Without thinking, he pulls out a pokéball he bought in Pallet a few days before they left, and threw it at the bug. It was caught in no time at all. Max cheers and picked up the ball, before going to attach it to his belt. Only for it to disappear in his hands. He stares at his hand for a few seconds, before remembering that he never transferred his team back to Birch like he'd planned. Now, he's without the Weedle, and a whole flock of Spearow, angry at him for stealing their lunch. He chuckles at the birds, before taking off back towards the path. The angry flock chases after him. He has Sceptile use his vine whips to interfere with the birds' flight path, but they still manage to gain on him. Before they can attack him however, they're all nailed with a powerful electric attack. Max turns around to find Bonnie and Hilda standing there, with Dedenne and a Galvantula zapping the Spearow. Max runs over to them, thanking them as he does. They call off the attacks, then all 3 of them return their pokémon, before making a hasty retreat.
They reunite with Hilbert, who went on ahead to find a Pokémon Centre while the girls saved Max. "I've got two rooms for us," he tells them, before turning to Max. "Did you manage to save the Weedle?" Max nods. "I caught it, but then it got transferred to Professor Birch," he explains. Bonnie looks at him quizzically. "Why?" she asks. "Because I never had the chance to leave my Hoenn team with him before we left," he explains. Bonnie's eyes widen in realisation. "And neither did I!" she exclaims. "You can do that when we get to the Pokémon Centre," says Hilbert. "They have a machine for that. It's just around that corner." Without another word, Bonnie takes Max's hand and leads him to the Centre. She's so focused on getting there that she fails to notice Max's blush as he's pulled along behind her.
It barely takes them 2 minutes to reach the Pokémon Centre. When they do, the first thing they do is run to the machines to transfer pokémon. Thankfully, there are 2 machines free, so they're able to call both professors to have their pokémon transferred. When Birch sees Max on the other end, his face brightens. "Good to see you well," he says. "Staying one step ahead of Team Terra?" Max chuckles and nods. "We're getting by," he replies. "I'm calling in regards to transferring some pokémon." Birch smiles at this and nods. "Of course," he says. "I take it you want the Weedle you just caught?" Max nods. "And I want to send my team from Hoenn over to you," he explains. "I also want you to send Pidgeot over to me too please." Professor Birch nods, then makes the transfer. While this is happening, the two of them catch up with each other. Max learns that Brendan is making a recovery, and should be able to take his title back from Brodie soon. This cheers Max up. Once the transfer is complete, Max thanks him, then ends the call.
Right as he does that, Bonnie also ends hers. Max checks her belt to find 3 pokéballs on hers too. "Who's the 3rd one?" he asks. "Talonflame," she replies. "I figured I should keep her on the team, in case we need to make a quick getaway." Max laughs at that. "I came to the same conclusion," he replies. "Which is why I have Pidgeot with me." He shows her Pidgeot's ball. "Good thinking," she replies. Before turning and looking around the room. She spots the twins sitting at a table, waving them over. She points them out to Max, and the two of them join them at the table. Once they've sat down, they decide to spend the night here, before carrying on in the morning.
Sorry for the totally abrupt ending, I had absolutely no idea where to go with that after the transfer. But I also wanted to mention Bonnie keeping Talonflame, so I couldn't end it after the call with Birch. But at the same time, I also didn't want to write another conversation for Bonnie and Sycamore, so I just added that in. Anyway, I have no idea when the next update will be. I can only hope life will stop kicking my ass for long enough to allow me to continue writing this properly.